If you were disappointed in the last couple seasons of "The Office," you can rest assured that you are not alone. From the time Steve Carell (Michael Scott) announced that he was leaving NBC's hit sitcom before Season 7 and all through Season 8, the network struggled to find a winning formula that would keep the show humming along. Even with a long line of big-name guest stars and outrageous plot lines, "The Office" did little to impress fans and has yet to really recover from Michael's departure.
In a recent interview with Reddit.com, series star Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute) revealed that the cast recognized problems with chemistry last season and is happy to move forward into Season 9. For his part, Wilson is hoping to leave behind the confines of "The Office" for the wide open, quirky spaces of "The Farm."
Wilson revealed a few details about his upcoming pilot that will likely be spun off as a new series in the winter or spring. As Wilson tells it, Episode 5 of "The Office" will introduce us to new members of the Schrute clan, due to a death in the family that brings them all together. The episode will take place entirely on the Schrute farm and will serve as the pilot for "The Farm." If all goes well out in the country, fans can expect to see Dwight trade in his slacks and ties for overalls and work boots on a regular basis. Wilson sounds excited about the possibility, particularly against the backdrop of recent seasons of "The Office."
On that front, Wilson admits that some "mistakes" were made from a creative standpoint in Season 8, though he maintains that there were some golden nuggets hidden among the misses. Wilson said the chemistry among the cast last season was a bit "dark," and he pointed to the dynamics between James Spader (Robert California) and Ed Helms (Andy Bernard) as a major part of the misfiring. According to Wilson, the mood needed to be lightened, and that meant changes to the on-screen challenge. Alas, Robert California is no longer part of the Scranton office crew.
So now, with a happier mood in the cubicle farm, "The Office" hopes to carry on through Season 9 successfully. If times get too rough, though, at least they can always take a day trip to "The Farm."
